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Heraldry
Heraldry is, according to Sir Anthony Wagner, “the systematic use of hereditary devices centred on the shield.” This means, primarily, what has come to be known as "the coat of arms." While shields were decorated in the classical and early medieval eras, as well as in East Asian cultures, such decorations were either not systematic or not hereditary (or neither). Medieval heraldry (as well as modern heraldry, which is unchanged in substance) follows rules enforced by heraldic officers, and constituted a form of intellectual property that could be passed down from parents to children according to those rules. In 14th century Europe literacy was rare, and so images were how you identified yourself. Heraldic imagery needed to be precise and distinctive, as it functioned much the way that social network profiles, business cards, or even signatures function today. In general, heraldry is “insignia which is distinctive of a person or family” or or even a country (J.P. Brooke-Little, Boutell’s Heraldry Frederick Warne, 1970, p. 163). Contents #Definition of Heraldry #Heraldic Development #Heraldic Display #Heraldic Design #*Law of Tincture #*Marshalling & Differencing #*Divisions, Ordinaries & Subordinaries #*Charges & Orientation/Attitude #Heraldic Blazon Definition of Heraldry Main article: Definition of Heraldry As noted above, heraldry is “the systematic use of hereditary devices centred on the shield” (Sir Anthony Wagner). Shields have probably been decorated for as long as they have been in use by human warriors. However, not all shield decorations are either systematically regulated or passed down from one individual to their hereditary heirs. For example, the decoration of Greek aspis shields may have been random according to the whim of the owner , or standardized for all members of a city-state's militia (like the Spartan "Lambda" for Lacedaemon ). Similarly, the shields borne by William the Conqueror's Norman cavalry and King Harald's shield wall were brightly decorated , but to our knowledge these designs were neither regulated nor tied to individual identification nor passed onto the bearer's descendents. By contrast, therefore, medieval heraldry was 1) a form of individual ''identification, 2) passed on to ''hereditary ''descendants by the 12th century, and 3) ''professionally codified & regulated by the 13th century. In the main, therefore there is no such thing as a "family's" coat of arms. Any given coat of arms indicates the identity of an individual rather than a family, although in many cases there will be strong heraldic similarities between the arms of different family members. In the case of national or corporate (business, civil or other organizational) heraldry, the arms represent an individual in either a symbolic or legal sense. The people of England are identified by the arms of their patron saint, St. George , whereas the government and people of Edmonton, Alberta, can be identified by the arms of the city of Edmonton . But in no wise are 'your' coat of arms discernible by simply typing your last name into an internet database (like this one ). Heraldic Development blah blah Heraldic Display blah blah Heraldic Design